1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document processing apparatus such as a word processor or personal computer capable of arbitrarily combining a sentence, an image and the like, laying them out, and printing them on a postcard (for example, a New Year""s card or a postcard inquiring after one""s health in the hot season) or other various kinds of cards (for example, a Christmas card).
2. Description of the Related Art
For designing a New Year""s card using a word processor typical of a known document processing apparatus, processing is carried out according to, for example, the procedure described below.
(1) A layout screen is displayed, and a layout is selected from a list of layouts.
(2) A part is selected from a list of parts defined for each field in a layout in the screen, and then inserted into the selected layout with a position and size designated.
(3) When the inserted part must be corrected, a method is selected from a list of correction methods defined for each part.
(4) When insertion of parts is completed, the resultant data is stored in a flexible disk or the like.
(5) The data stored in the flexible disk is read and printed on a postcard.
The foregoing known apparatus has the problems described below.
(1) Even when it is intended to select a part for each field in a layout, since the list of parts is expressed with characters, the parts are indiscernible. This is inconvenient.
(2) Since parts are inserted into one layout that is regarded as an object, if the layout is requested to be changed to another, selection of a layout must be resumed and parts must be selected again. This is laborious and time-consuming.
(3) As for image data provided as a part by the document processing apparatus, an amount of one part data item is so large that the number of part data items to be stored in a storage means is limited. The number of items of parts a user can choose is therefore limited. For increasing the number of parts to be chosen by a user, a large-capacity storage unit is needed. Moreover, for handling data other than parts displayed as a list of parts by the apparatus as a part and inserting the data to a desired field, a user must create new data by carrying out editing. This is laborious and time-consuming.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for creating document data by inserting parts into a layout for a postcard or any other card, and to make it possible to process document data having any layout easily and shortly by simplifying a user""s manipulation for selecting a layout or inserting parts into the selected layout, by enabling a user to increase the number of parts a user can choose as parts with a simple manipulation without an increase in storage capacity for parts, and by making information on a display screen discernible.
For accomplishing the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a document processing apparatus having a layout data memory means for storing layout data used to lay out the contents of a document, and a part data memory means for storing part data of parts to be inserted into layouts, and creating a document using the data residing in both the memory means. The document processing apparatus comprises a layout/parts list display control means for giving control so as to define a layout area and parts list area in a screen on a display means on the basis of the data residing in the layout data memory means and part data memory means, display one layout or a plurality of layouts in the layout area, and display a list of parts to be inserted into the layouts in the parts list area; a part insertion means that when one part is selected from the list of parts displayed in the parts list area, inserts the part to associated fields in all the layouts displayed in the layout area; an effect data memory means for storing effect data used to modify the part data; and a modification means for modifying the part data using the effect data.